Objectives : There exists a number of books that deal with curing diseases with foods. This includes Shennongbencaojing from Han Dynasty era, Zanyin's Shiloaoxingan and Mengxi's Shilaobencao from Tang Dynasty era, Husihui's Yinshanzhengyao from Won Dynasty era, and Feiboxiong's Sikgamboncho from Qing Dynasty era. This paper aims to delve into the food treatment revealed in Sikgamboncho, which is the latest book in the preceeding list, and studied its differences when compared to other medical books that deal with food treatment methods.
Methods : The format and contents of Feiboxiong's Sikgamboncho were studied. For its format, Shilaoaoxingan, Yinshanzhengyao, Shikryochanyo, and Donguibogam were used to compare their formats with that of Sikgamboncho in order to discern the unique characteristics found in the book. For its contents, the paper studied food ingredients and food treatment separately, and then studied the historical significance of Feiboxiong's Sikgamboncho.
Results : Sikgamboncho categorizes 12 types of grain, 22 types of vegetables, 7 types of cucumis calyx, 27 types of fruit, 9 types of flavor, 4 types of bird, 4 types of animal, 10 types of fish with scales, 4 types of carapace, and 2 types of worm. The book explains each ingredient's harvest period, its nature, potency, and taboos. The food treatment section explains 74 types of treatments that are divided between the wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness category and the qi, blood phlegm, deficiency, and excess category. Each treatment contains its potency and recipe.
Conclusions : Feiboxiong underlined the importance of ingredient through placing significance even to the order of ingredients. Out of the total 74 food treatments, 25 treatments were dedicated to deal with weakness. Feiboxiong attempted to prevent human body from becoming weak, which reflects his emphasis on the importance of food and wellness.